Project Brief

Konjo is an economic development initiative launched by Life In Abundance (LIA), a nonprofit organization that works in several countries throughout northeast Africa. Konjo sandals are handcrafted by a group of vulnerable, previously unemployed, unskilled
women and men in one of Africa’s largest slums—Kibera—in Nairobi, Kenya. The leather sandals are made of locally sourced resources and use recycled tire treads for the sole. Each pair of sandals is one-of-a-kind, just like the people who make them—people who are
now gaining a sense of empowerment and breaking free of the poverty cycle. “I used to naively think the poor were just not working hard enough,” notes Justin Ahrens, R29 principal. “What I’ve learned through my involvement with LIA is that the majority of Africans living in poverty have tremendous
creative skills that can be used to reach new markets. This is what Konjo has allowed many to do.”

Rule29 helped introduce Konjo by providing both strategic planning advice and creative services. From designing the shoes (which involved creating templates and writing simple instructions for the workers) to developing the name, logo and e-commerce website,
Rule29 worked to strategize, collaborate, design and market the Konjo brand in a way that showcases the beauty of both the products and the people.

Budget

This project was done pro bono.

Research

The type of research we used included competitor analysis, marketing research, user testing, visual exploration, ethnographic research, as well as qualitative and quantitative research.

Additionally, the Rule29 team researched different types of flip-flops, sandals and shoe materials to determine which type of footwear would be most feasible to produce. We bought shoes and spent time talking to shoe designers and buyers; in the meantime, Life
in Abundance worked on finding materials for us to use for prototyping, and they began training local individuals in making the shoes. Rule29 and the team in Kibera then created samples and patterns through trial and error for more than a year.

Strategy

We used design thinking and collaboration to help create a business around a product we had no experience in producing. Working hand-in-hand with LIA, we researched the viability of a project that would provide economic sustainability, train unskilled labor and create viable product. Our ultimate goal is transformed lives and empowerment. We helped set the initial direction in the beginning, and then we assisted in every stage we could as the shoes were being developed. We had to prove that we could make them first,
and then that we could replicate and train Africans going forward. It took many prototypes, patterns, discussions and problem solving, but after a year we were finally confident we could make a viable sandal.

Challenges

We picked the most difficult place to pilot this project: one of the world’s largest slums. Our thought was that if it could work here, it could work anywhere… We are not shoe designers, and neither were our African brothers and sisters. We had to rely on
design thinking processes to figure it all out. Additionally, communication was sporadic at best; we sometimes waited months to receive feedback or new samples. Our first prototypes were really awful: inconsistent and of poor quality. We began the project
in 2009 and our first sandals weren’t ready to sell until three years later.

Effectiveness

The biggest success is that Konjo is now offering well-made shoes at the rate of five to eight pair a week.

Women (some HIV positive, widowed, single mothers, uneducated or extremely poor and with few options) are now employed and trained in skills that create a better life for themselves and their community. They are now able to buy medicine and food, and barter for extra shoes.

The local people followed our initial direction, but they have since made improvements independently, and we have been able to work back and forth effectively

Konjo developed its own “apprenticeship” program and process

100% of sales go back into funding, training and program development

Konjo’s long-term goal is being fully self-sustaining and then expanding into other African communities and countries.

From The Archives

IZZE You’ll Love What’s Inside Campaign

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Why Design

External Resources

Fab Founder On 5 Ways To Navigate Design Politics | Co.Design
Once upon a time I worked with a design team. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve worked with a myriad of design teams during my career. Over and over. And merchant teams. And editorial teams. And there is this thing that always exists. Contempt. Contempt for others who don’t understand design. Or trend. Or editorial voice. (I have a design degree. I feel your pain. But get over yourself. Really.)
www.fastcodesign…

Cheat sheet: Understanding the role of design in startups | Google Ventures
We are entering a golden era of software product design. Advances in software engineering allow us to create new products faster than ever, so we rely on design to differentiate products and make them useful, understandable, and desirable. But what is design?
www.gv.com/lib/c…

How Apple Went from Underdog to Cult in Six Design and Innovation Strategies from the Early Days | Brain Pickings
In 1982, Apple hired German-American industrial designer and inventor Hartmut Esslinger to overhaul the company’s design strategy. He created the Snow White design language, which would come to define Apple, and turned the Silicon Valley underdog not only into a global force of design and innovation, but also into a singular culture—an aesthetic cult, even.
www.brainpicking…

5 Tips to Getting Hired by Design | Design Thinking
Design thinking doesn’t just apply to creating memorable products, services, or experiences; it can also help you land a job you love. Some human-centered advice for job seekers trying to launch successful creative careers....
designthinking.i…

Featured Portfolio

Featured Portfolio

Use ‘design thinking’ to reach customers | Washingtonpost.com
For better than a decade, managers have been taught that focusing on the customer provides a sure path to success. But what do you do when you hit a plateau, chasing ever smaller niches with ever expanding offerings that yield less and less?
www.washingtonpo…

Why Motivating Others Starts With Using The Right Language | 99U
The team members gathered for their weekly standup at the New York-based technology startup. There had been misconnects the previous week with the email marketing team and the design team resulting in an inconsistent message that didn’t showcase some of the best offers the group had worked to secure. “They just had a different agenda than we did,” said one team member.
99u.com/articles…

This is How Facebook Decides Who to Hire
For a designer trying to break into the tech industry, working at Facebook may be a dream come true. Julie Zhuo, director of product design at Facebook, revealed how the company hand-picks its team of designers.
www.businessinsi…

Letter to a Junior Designer: An A List Apart Column
I admit it: you intimidate me. Your work is vivid and imaginative, far superior to my woeful scratchings at a similar age. The things I struggle to learn barely make you sweat. One day, you’ll be a better designer than me.
alistapart.com/c…